Tag Archives: Almonds

My post “Hot Potato!” discussed one of the most important sneaky nut hide outs that I discovered during my stay in Spain. But this wasn’t the only one. Those sneaky buggers.

The BF and I conquered Barcelona in a week. We walked more than I think I have ever walked before. Each step was a challenge for my no-idea-what-had-hit-them feet, decked out in my new white leather Chucks. We had seen, eaten and done all that Barcelona had to offer. Then came the much slower-paced Valencia, complete with a 5-hour siesta (which we of course chose not to take part in), some incredible authentic Spanish dancing and of course, more food.

We were ready. It was time. Ibiza. Ibiza was actually a late addition to our itinerary. Disappointed that we were only catching the end of the Greek island party season, we had squeezed in a (highly expensive) stopover in Ibiza. 2 nights, 2 parties and endless hours in the sun. I know that I previously mentioned that Ibiza isn’t about the food, and it definitely isn’t. Unfortunately my stomach didn’t know that when in Ibiza, one would be preoccupied with soaking up the sun on a beach chair and partying it up at Ushuaia. Alas, I still needed to eat. But whilst my stomach had become accustomed to the Spanish diet, the food offered in Ibiza is by no means authentic Spanish food. It is (for the most part) exactly what you would expect from a place like Ibiza – fast, greasy, delicious.

In between eating a burger, chips or the worst fast food chicken nuggets of my life, I ordered a plate of penne bolognese. When in Australia, I would never normally ask whether bolognese contains nuts, unless I was at some quirky restaurant. But given the different culture, I thought it best to give my nut allergy sign JIC. Who knows what the Spanish might put in their bolognese sauce? Luckily I checked. The waiter came out a few moments later telling me that their bolognese sauce is made with pesto sauce. They kindly made me a special batch of bolognese which, fortunately, lacked pesto but, unfortunately, also lacked flavour. In case there wasn’t already enough, I have now added spaghetti bolognese to my list of always-check-whether-it-contains-nuts meal list. Sighs.

Now some might be wondering the reason for the title of this post, for spaghetti bolognese certainly has nothing to do with tigers OR nuts. [And for those that haven’t yet noticed, each title on my blog refer to a movie or song name.]

The Spanish are rather fond of their liquid delicacies. Horchata (or Orxata as it is called in Valencia) is one such delicacy; a traditional Spanish drink. It is an interesting delicacy, not that I am one to judge – it is typically made from tiger nuts, water and sugar. It looks like milk and it can be found spinning in slushie-like vessels on the side of the road and served straight in a glass. Now when I discovered this drink, I was not sure whether or not this was a delicacy that I could dabble in. I certainly hadn’t ever heard of tiger nuts. Since I had never heard of them, it seemed unlikely that these nuts were related to the nuts I was allergic to, but I couldn’t be sure. I was definitely not going to take the chance when in a foreign country.

But in preparation for writing this blog, I thought it important to actually research this issue [isn’t the internet wonderful?]. I have come to the conclusion, but this is obviously third-hand knowledge, that tiger nuts are not nuts at all. Tiger nuts are part of the sedge family, but do actually share some chemical compositions with nuts. Personally, this neurotic Allergian still wouldn’t risk eating them. If any experienced readers out there have any knowledge on the issue, please speak up!

Most importantly, occasionally horchata is made with ground almonds, so while tiger nuts may not be nuts, still make sure that you check.

In case, like me, you are unwilling to take the risk with the horchata, do not fear… You can still enjoy the other liquid delicacies of Spain, of which there are many:-

Sangria

Sangria is always a safe, highly delicious option; served in a giant glass or a jug to be shared amongst a group. Sangria is available at every restaurant and bar in Spain, and is always made to perfection. Unfortunately, sangria isn’t one to be enjoyed by the fructards! For the rest of us, enjoy a jug of sangria with your friends and avoid knocking over and smashing your glass, like I did. Muchas gracias!

Agua de Valencia AKA “Valencian water”

A cocktail of cava (sparkling wine) or champagne, OJ, good ol’ vodka, and gin. Ahh I remember sitting at a café in the bustling Plaza de la Virgen in Valencia in the peak heat, mid-siesta hours of the day drinking a jug of agua de Valencia thinking “oh what a life”.

Fruit Juices

As I mentioned in my post here, the fruit juices at La Boqueria markets in Barcelona are to die for. They have almost any flavour combination you could wish for! Don’t pass this one up!!

Orange Juice

You might be thinking – well just how good could OJ be? Freshly squeezed orange juice is freshly squeezed orange juice right? Wrong. The orange juice in Valencia is beyond what I ever thought orange juice could be. Such a strong rich flavour. Famous for its orange juice, the streets in Valencia are lined with rows of orange trees. Make sure you don’t miss out on this specialty!

Espit Chupitos

No this isn’t a delicacy per se. Espit Chupitos (I went to the one on Carrer d’Aribau in Barcelona which I think [but definitely may be mistaken] is the original) is a famous shot bar with hundreds of unique and delicious 2 euro shots. From cooking your own marshmallow on a shot lit on fire, to drinking the beverage of the green fairy, to the infamous ‘Monica Lewinsky’ shot, this shot bar has it all.

Clearly the Spanish have a thing for liquid delicacies. I’ll cheers to that!

So I’ve been promising for a while now that I will mention some sneaky nut hideouts that I discovered while in Spain, so here goes [see my next post on this topic too].

In my previous post about tapas here, I broke the dreaded news that those who share my impressive array of allergies may be restricted to the more boring of tapas options. One of the stock standard, best-selling tapas options is patatas bravas, which is available in almost every (if not every) tapas restaurant. Patatas bravas is a dish of cut up potatoes covered in sauce. *yum*

I ordered this side dish for the first time at a tapas restaurant in the famous La Boqueria markets in Barcelona. Forgive me for going on a tangent, but these markets are amazing. The fruit juices, of which there is almost every possible fruit combination you could possibly imagine, are delicious. Skip the stalls at the very front of the markets, as they are overpriced and not as good as the inner stalls. Beware because pickpocketing is rife in the markets, as they are so crowded and busy. Most importantly, the restaurants inside, which border the markets and open out into a courtyard on the right-hand side, are some of the best restaurants in Barcelona. You’re welcome.

La Boqueria markets, Barcelona

Now let me backtrack to the point of my story. I ordered the patatas bravas and showed my nut translation sign. The waiter had the typical little snicker at my sign and gave me the go ahead for everything I had ordered, including the patatas bravas. Not knowing what to expect of this delectable sounding dish, I received potatoes, cut into little pieces, abundantly dripping in a sauce of a sweet-chilli/aioli variety. It was very tasty, messy, and thoroughly enjoyable.

BUT this is why you need to be careful. Now I don’t know about you, but I personally never assume that just because a dish is Allergian-friendly the first 3, 4 or 5 times that I order it, that it will also be on the 6th, 7th or 8th time too. Well let me clarify that. In my home country Australia, I know when I do and don’t need to check, and there are many standard dishes that I wouldn’t question at all e.g. certain pastas. But until I thoroughly know and understand the cooking style and ingredients used in a country, I don’t adopt such a trusting attitude overseas and always double check JIC [just in case]. And luckily for that..

The second time I ordered patatas bravas, I faced a very different scenario to the first. I was at a restaurant in Plaça Reial in Barcelona. I ordered grilled chicken breast, along with patatas bravas to share with the BF; giving the waitress my nut translation sign JIC. The waitress told me I couldn’t have the patatas bravas, as it contained nuts. I found this quite surprising. Potatoes and hot chips are always the safest Allergian-friendly food for me. In fact sometimes, this is the only thing I CAN eat. It is my safety blanket. I never possibly thought that this would contain nuts.

I clarified what the ingredient was that contained nuts, given that I am used to being lost in translation (or having non-Allergians miscategorise something as nuts). Was this simply another bean/nut mix-up? The waitress told me that the potatoes were covered in romesco sauce, which is a nut and capsicum sauce traditional to Catalonia. Typically, the sauce is made from a mixture of almonds, pine nuts and/or hazelnuts. My understanding is that romesco sauce is commonly used in patatas bravas, or served with seafood, poultry or red meat.

It was lucky that I had first ordered a dish containing romesco sauce at a semi-fancy restaurant, with an obviously clued-in waitress. Some less-knowledgeable waiter or waitress may not have realised there were nuts in the sauce, or may not have even connected the nut allergy dot to the romesco sauce dot.

Some might criticise me for not having researched this before I came to Spain, given how commonly romesco sauce is used in Spanish cooking. As fellow Allergians might agree, it is hard to know where to look for this sort of information. And this was one inspiration for writing this blog. Always BEWARE and don’t assume that just because one restaurant’s patatas bravas is Allergian-safe, that they all are!